Safeguarding Military Bonuses Act

Safeguarding Military Bonuses Act

This bill requires the military departments to grant to certain members of the Armed Forces (i.e., those who were involuntarily separated based on the refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccination) an exception to the requirement that they must repay a bonus, incentive pay, or similar benefit that is contingent on the member's satisfaction of certain service or eligibility requirements. Specifically, this exception applies for such members if the bonus, incentive pay, or similar benefit was made before August 24, 2021.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8553 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8553

   To amend title 37, United States Code, to exempt certain bonuses, 
   incentive pay, and other benefits from repayment in the case of a 
  member of the Armed Forces involuntarily separated for refusing to 
                receive a vaccination against COVID-19.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2022

 Mrs. Bice of Oklahoma (for herself, Mr. Johnson of Louisiana, and Mr. 
    Posey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 37, United States Code, to exempt certain bonuses, 
   incentive pay, and other benefits from repayment in the case of a 
  member of the Armed Forces involuntarily separated for refusing to 
                receive a vaccination against COVID-19.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Safeguarding Military Bonuses Act''.

SEC. 2. SPECIAL RULE FOR DISCHARGES RELATED TO COVID-19.

    Section 373(b) of title 37, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) Special rule for discharges related to covid-19.--The 
        Secretary concerned shall grant to an individual involuntarily 
        separated from an Armed Force solely on the basis of the 
        refusal of such individual to receive a vaccination against 
        COVID-19 an exception to the requirement to repay a bonus, 
        incentive pay, or similar benefit under subsection (a) if such 
        bonus, incentive pay, or similar benefit was made before August 
        24, 2021.''.
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